WKSU-FM Wins Regional Murrow Awards for News Series, Sports

The Radio Television Digital News Association honored WKSU-FM with two 2010 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for its outstanding achievements in electronic journalism. WKSU-FM received awards for Audio News Documentary and Audio Sports Reporting.

The Murrow Awards were established in 1971 in honor of respected broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow. Awards are accorded to those who embody the spirit of excellence Murrow made standard during his time as a newscaster. The awards are given to radio, television and online outlets, as well as to individual reporters.

The entire WKSU-FM newsroom staff won the award for Audio News Documentary for their efforts on the “Good Jobs in Bad Times” series. The series consisted of eight parts with additional Web components and photos, each about a different aspect of the job market and how people are dealing with changes in employment due to the economy.

“As the economy was going south, we wanted to investigate what jobs were still available, and what would be there in the future,” WKSU-FM Director of Programming and Operations Mark Urycki, says. “It was a full newsroom effort.”

Reporter Amanda Rabinowitz won the Audio Sports Reporting award for part one of her series on rower Katie Spotz. The 22-year-old Spotz recently became the youngest person to complete a solo cross-Atlantic row from Senegal to Guyana, South America. Spotz’s story was covered in three parts: before, during and after her trip.

“It was a sweet story about why she decided to make the trip and what motivates her,” Urycki says.

As part of Region Seven, WKSU-FM competes against other stations in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. This year, six other stations received awards. Regional winners are eligible for national awards, which will be presented this October in New York.

Urycki says the entire staff of WKSU-FM is excited about the awards.

“To win two is a real honor,” he says. “We want to compare our work against the best newsrooms in the country so we have a benchmark to measure ourselves and look for ways to keep improving.”

For more information about WKSU-FM and to listen to the award-winning stories, visit www.wksu.org.

(WKSU-FM's Executive Director Al Bartholet is pictured on the front of this issue.)

By Katie Young

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